Topaz And Sunflowers (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots), page 1
Topaz and Sunflowers
Country Brides and Cowboy Boots
Danni Lee Nicholls
Copyright © 2019 by Danni Lee Nicholls
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Dear Reader,
Topaz and Sunflowers
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
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Also by Danni Lee Nicholls
About the Author
Dear Reader,
I’m so glad you’ve picked up Topaz and Sunflowers. This book has special meaning to me because it deals with the tough subject of domestic violence. Although, there aren’t any graphic scenes of abuse, the abuser in this novel is menacing, and I write about the lasting and rippling effects of violence between partners. This includes the pain, loss, shame, fear, and terror that accompanies these experiences. I also write about the suffering that can take place for family members who may not be directly involved but reap the bitter harvest of these wrongs. For some readers, this has the possibility to trigger their own trauma or simply be difficult to process.
In truth, it’s these tough emotions that drew me to this subject. All forms of abuse, including domestic violence, can only thrive in the dark corners of society. By shining a light on these behaviors, we have the power to put a stop to it and reach out to victims with compassion and hope.
As always, thanks for reading.
Danni Lee
Topaz and Sunflowers
Country Brides and Cowboy Boots
They both have a past. Can they even consider a future?
Kendra Powell is on the run. Leaving everything behind, including her abusive boyfriend, she flees the high-style life of LA for Sunrise Creek, Montana, and the longtime friendship of Andrew McPherson. With time, her physical wounds heal, but in spite of Andrew’s patient affection, Kendra still deals with the terror of her past trauma.
Andrew McPherson made a terrible mistake when he followed his brother in a scheme to steal cows from a neighboring ranch. Now, Andrew must choose between family loyalty and telling the truth around the events that left a trail of devastation through his hometown.
When Kendra comes to the McPherson ranch for safety and the sweet memories of her youth, she and Andrew begin to build a fragile love based on their tender and innocent history. But against Andrew’s wishes, Kendra chooses to go back to California to confront her abuser while he is forced to stay in Montana to face the consequences of his actions.
In the end, each of them must decide what they’re willing to risk for the truth and their childhood bond that promises to offer so much more than friendship.
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This story is an irresistible contemporary romance about a not-so-humble cop who splits his raffle ticket with an unlucky waitress and the actor who falls in love with her.
(An It Could Happen to You retelling with a twist!)
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Chapter One
Andrew McPherson paced his front porch overlooking the manicured lawn and garden of the home he shared with his parents. In the back of the house, fields of June pasture were fattening up the cows and calves that were the lifeblood of the McPherson ranch. But Andrew wasn’t thinking of the beauty of the land or the way the light of day slanted through the garden.
Squinting, he shaded his eyes against the bright afternoon sun that shimmered along the dusty drive leading to his home. A small tingling of excitement rushed through him. He was waiting for his childhood friend, Kendra Powell, to drive up the road. She had called from Missoula to let him know she was on the last leg of her journey from LA. He expected her any minute.
Years had passed between their last correspondence. Still, when she’d called three days ago in a hurried whisper, asking if she could come and stay over the summer, he hadn’t pushed for an explanation. He was afraid that if he started throwing inquiries in her direction, she would pull back from her request. Something in her breathless and anxious voice made him tuck his questions away and simply say yes. After all, the invitation for Kendra to stay with his family had been offered four years ago when her parents died on a busy California highway, leaving Kendra orphaned at the tender adult age of eighteen.
Now, she was coming home, or the home she and Andrew shared during the summers of their childhood. Would it be possible to resurrect those carefree and happy days?
Andrew had always loved Kendra. Every year as a kid, he waited for the lengthening and warming days of summer that would bring his California friend and her parents to their vacation lakeside cottage for summer in Sunrise Creek, Montana. When she arrived, it was as if something within Andrew that slumbered most of his life came alive as he and Kendra rode horses, worked in the fields, and shrugged off the summer dust and heat in the cool waters of Sunrise Lake.
Even though he was two years older, they were still only children during their last carefree summer together when she was barely seventeen and he was a year out of high school. Everything was full of promise during those endless days, even the hope Andrew carried that if he waited for Kendra to grow up, she would eventually see his honest and hopeful love.
Instead, as their last summer together came to a close, Kendra gave him a friendly hug, threw her bag in the back of her parents’ Mercedes, and waved goodbye with a smile that both delighted and crushed him as her folks pulled out of the drive.
Now, she was coming alone, and in their short conversation, her voice held jittery fear.
Andrew’s mother, Jillina, came and stood beside him, interrupting his thoughts. She threw him a worried look. “I hope you don’t have any expectations around this visit. We haven’t seen Kendra since her parents’ funeral, and with her engagement to some big shot CEO, I’m sure she’s changed.”
Andrew wished to brush his mother’s concerns away. He didn’t want to talk to her about his expectations around Kendra. He was twenty-four, and so far, nothing about his life had turned out as he had hoped. He was still living at home. He was in serious trouble with the law for a charge of attempted felony theft that had prompted Andrew to plead guilty. If the judge woke up on the wrong side of the bed, his plea could mean up to ten years in prison and a fine of fifty thousand dollars. He would know his sentence and his fate in sixty days.
To some extent, he had a degree of control. His lawyer told him that if he testified against his brother, Joshua, who was in jail on several counts, including the same theft charge, the judge would look favorably on that choice, giving him the chance at a lighter sentence.
The thought filled Andrew with a mix of dread and hope. He longed to be free of the struggle caused by his regretful mistake, but the thought of turning on his older brother rocked Andrew to the foundation of everything he believed about family and loyalty, especially in hard times.
Did it really hurt to hope that Kendra’s appearance would offer him some sort of reprieve from the mess he’d made of his life, or that maybe he could offer her something?
His mother continued, “I suspect she won’t stay long. She’s probably in the middle of a lovers’ spat and needs some time away and sense of family. After all, her aunt Tabby hasn’t been that much help.” His mother turned to face him. “What’s her fiancé’s name?”
Inwardly, Andrew rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to talk about Kendra’s fiancé. “Clark Delaney,” Andrew mumbled.
His mother shrugged. “Our country life looks pretty dull compared to the millions of dollars and bling that must come with that sort of thing.”
Annoyance flickered in Andrew like a TV screen. “Kendra knows what life is like here. Maybe that’s why she called. All that California glitter could become tiresome.” He took a deep breath and turned toward his mom. “I appreciate you letting her stay here, though. I recognize that it’s not my decision to make. So, thank you. We don’t know what her life is like, but she was in obvious distress when she called.”
“Well, of course she’s wel come here. Her mother was my best friend in high school. Chandra was lovely. All the boys wanted to take her out, and all the girls wanted to be her best friend. She was everyone’s dream girl. But her beauty came from within. She was inclusive when others turned away. I still miss her.” Her voice grew wistful. “If I can help her orphaned child, I’ll do it with gladness.”
The sound of a car coming down the dirt drive captured Andrew’s attention, and he turned to see a sleek charcoal-gray Audi kicking up clouds of dust.
His mother arched her eyebrows. “Well, well.” She gave Andrew a sideways look.
“We all have money, Mom, so don’t be like that.”
“We don’t have California money,” his mother said as a smile crept along her mouth.
Andrew wrapped his arm around his mother as his happy anticipation over Kendra’s arrival overrode his earlier irritation. He grinned at her. “It all spends the same,” he said.
His mother put her arm around his waist, and Andrew felt her visibly relax as she smiled back up at him. “That it does, son. That it does,” she said. “Now, let’s go greet our guest.”
Chapter Two
Andrew pushed down the bashful feeling that suddenly rose as Kendra’s new Audi came to a stop and the dust finally caught up with it. He tried to peer into the windshield for his first glimpse. Kendra was wearing a pair of huge sunglasses, and the reflective light of the sun bounced off the windshield while dust clogged his view.
She sat in the car for what seemed like forever. Finally, the door to the Audi opened, and Kendra stepped wearing a pair of flip-flops, white cut-offs, and a butter yellow t-shirt.
Immediately, Andrew noticed her thin and pale demeanor. Her skin was the color of milk, and her clothes practically hung on her small frame. But her abundant black hair was the same, pulled back into a haphazard ponytail.
“Kendra?” Andrew drew close and stopped as the young woman hunched herself against the car. “Kendra?” Andrew tried again.
The girl took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah. Hi, Andrew.” Her voice wavered. “It’s good to see you. Thank you so much for letting me stay here. You have no idea what this means to me.”
He took another step closer. “I’m glad you’re here.” This conversation wasn’t going at all as he had hoped. He wished for a familiar and sweet embrace, where she launched herself at him and he would pull her off her feet. She would wrap her arms around his neck as he swung her around in celebration of their joyful reunion. But he had to remember that they weren’t children anymore, and Kendra was engaged.
His eyes immediately sought out her left hand and noticed there wasn’t any ring. A timid hope sprouted within Andrew. “Did you drive straight through?” His gaze returned to her face, and he studied her closely. Something wasn’t right.
“Yeah. I had to get out of LA.”
Andrew drew closer. Her lip looked bruised, and her left jaw carried a yellow tinge. Heat ran through Andrew, scalding him from the inside and making the summer warmth unbearable. He knew that coloring on the face of a woman. He had seen it on Joshua’s ex-wife, Lexie, the afternoon his brother had beaten and threatened her for finding his stash of drugs. It was a story that sliced at Andrew’s sense of decency and the order of everything he held dear. He was convinced he felt more remorse over Lexie’s beating than Joshua. He even wrote a note to Lexie’s sister, Ruby, telling her he was sorry for what Joshua had done. To see it in his childhood friend and crush almost brought him to his knees.
He glanced at his mother, whose mouth was set in a firm line, her eyes turning to shock and worry.
“Let me see,” Andrew whispered as he stepped closer to Kendra.
Kendra hesitated before removing the sunglasses and dipping her head out of the light of the sun.
Andrew inched forward, making sure his shadow fell on her, easing her under the brittle glare of the afternoon light. Reaching out, he raised her chin with his fingers.
Kendra flinched, but she didn’t step away, giving Andrew the full view of her injuries. Her swollen left eye sported purple bruising, and the left side of her lip was battered and split. Her nose looked tender and puffy.
Blistering anger raged through Andrew, but he tried to keep his voice calm. “Who did this to you?” he asked gently as he caressed Kendra’s jaw.
Tears formed in her eyes. “I can’t tell you,” she said.
He’d try another approach. “When did this happen?” he asked, keeping his tone level. He didn’t want to alarm her.
“Three days ago.”
“Before you called?”
Kendra nodded.
Andrew went to Kendra to pull her into an embrace, but she shied away, her body flinching in defense as she turned from him and put her hand up.
Andrew stopped. “Okay,” he said gently as he took a step back. “I’m just glad you came here.”
Kendra turned and faced Andrew, her eyes finally meeting his; her face was full of defeat and resignation, and a trace of fear lingered in her eyes. She nodded and breathed a quiet sigh. “This is where I was happiest,” she whispered, her voice choking with emotion.
Andrew smiled. “Then this is where you need to be. Where are your bags?”
Kendra led him to the back of the Audi, where she popped the trunk with her fob. A large duffel bag lay in the huge space. “I had to hurry,” she said. “And it had to be something I could carry without trouble.”
Andrew looked at her. In her present condition, Kendra didn’t look as if she’d make it across a parking lot without help. “You’re a smart girl,” Andrew said as he lifted the bag. “Let’s get you out of this sun.” Pushing the lid of the trunk down, he fought the desire to reach out and help Kendra navigate the stairs to the front porch, where his mother took Kendra into a maternal embrace.
“I’m glad you’re here, baby girl,” Jillina whispered into Kendra’s hair.
Tears came to Andrew’s eyes as he watched Kendra fall against his mother and let out a hiccupped sob.
“Shhhh … you’re safe now,” Jillina crooned.
Andrew stood by while his mother continued to soothe Kendra, wishing he could offer her something. But her earlier retreat from him made it clear that she didn’t want to be near a man. The best thing he could do was stay away, even though it pained him.
After a couple of minutes, he watched as Kendra pulled a tissue from the pocket of her shorts and wiped her eyes before sniffling. Her face was blotchy and red, and her swollen eye, nose, and lip looked worse for the weeping. Gratitude that Kendra had chosen to come to him and his family filled his chest. Whatever had happened to her, their family’s mutual love and their shared childhood friendship had pulled her back from the brink of something terrible, landing her by Andrew’s side once again.
Chapter Three
Absently, Kendra fingered the diamond-and-yellow-topaz pendant that hung on a dainty chain around her neck while spreading her free hand along the bed she would claim during her stay with the McPherson family.
Settling on the soft mattress, she took in the surrounding peace. She longed to lie down on the blue star-patterned quilt and allow the calm offered by the room to lull her into sleep. Instead, she took in the dark hardwood, the pale gray walls, and the white trim and gauzy curtains. Her gaze moved to the small desk with a seat. In the corner by the window, a rocking chair with a soft blanket spilled over the armrest. A nightstand was anchored near the bed with a lamp, a clock, and room for a book. All of it breathed tranquility into Kendra.
